Archive for the ‘Jeff Puras’ tag

Every now and then, I’m reminded that there’s more to old cars than the old cars themselves. It’s easy to forget the human interest stories that accompany the cars in light of high-horsepower engines, screaming paint jobs and limited production numbers. Every time I need a reminder, I think about Mel Valentine’s AMX.

To our Hemmings Muscle Machines readers, the story is familiar. The AMX first appeared in the magazine in the May 2006 issue, in part because of its preserved, one-owner originality, but more because of the story of how Mel bought the car, kept it through the years and led the campaign to bring the AMO Nationals to Atlanta in 2005, only to die of cancer just before the event. Vintage AMC muscle cars, led by Mel’s Big Bad Orange 1969 AMX, gave the funeral procession some color. The AMX eventually took third place in our 2006 Muscle Machine of the Year awards.

Barb Valentine, Mel’s wife, has received another honor, when Floyd Garrett asked her to place the AMX in his muscle car museum in Sevierville, Tennessee. Two of the three guys behind Three Jeffs AMC helped her pick up the AMX, trailer it to Tennessee, change back the wheels and tires to the originals and park it in the museum over New Year’s weekend. Jeff Reeves, one of those Peach Staters, sent over several pictures, taken by Jeff Puras.